There is a way to help Muslim moderates fight for freedom in Iran

When I speak to American audiences about my work as a journalist covering the Muslim world, I can usually count on getting one question: Where are the Muslim moderates? And what can we do to support them?

At the end of this column, I’ll answer the second question. But here’s an answer to the first: Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi.

Ebrahim Yazdi, the top opponent of Iran's ruling clerics, waves to supporters after returning to Iran from the U.S. at Mehrabad airport in Tehran on Saturday, April 20, 2002. Yazdi, 70, left Iran in November 2000, to receive cancer treatment in Houston, and his return could give fresh momentum to reformists after facing a relentless crackdown. ( AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Dr. Yazdi, leader of the dissident Freedom Movement in Iran, is now in prison in Tehran, having risked the ire of the country’s rulers for opposing them and promoting freedom and democracy as truly Islamic values.

He has a direct connection to our region. His daughter, Dr. Sarah Noorbaksh, is a physician at Messiah Village. His son-in-law, Dr. Mehdi Noorbaksh, is associate professor of international affairs and coordinator of general education at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

A giant in modern Iranian history, Dr. Yazdi once worked at Baylor Medical Center in Houston. But in 1978, he left a comfortable life in this country to return to Iran to help overthrow the undemocratic rule of the Shah and usher in the Islamic revolution of 1979. He even served as foreign minister and adviser to the late Grand Ayatollah Khomeini, considered the founding father of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It didn’t take long for Yazdi to realize he had to break with the government, and the turning point proved to be the American hostage crisis.

Outraged over Khomeini’s decision to support the hostage takers, Yazdi, and Mehdi Bazargan, head of the interim government, resigned their posts and began a decades-long opposition to what they saw as a revolution gone wrong.

It had become increasingly clear that Yazdi’s view of Iran’s future and Khomeini’s view were diverging drastically. Yazdi couldn’t remain loyal to a government that many saw increasingly controlled by religious despots.

But his decision to break away from Khomeini and become a dissident has meant living as an outcast in his own country, facing death threats and even the firebombing of his home in 1985. In December 1997, Yazdi was arrested and sent to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

Even after his release, he was prevented from leaving the country, and he was never allowed to challenge the rulers by running for office. With the outbreak of protests after the presidential elections in 2009, Yazdi again found himself at the center of political turmoil in Iran, challenging the election results that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Yazdi has remained in and out of prison, and in and out of the hospital, since then.

Now, as his health continues to fail, our neighbors Sarah and Mehdi Noorbaksh are asking for our help. So, if you want to know what you can do to help Muslim moderates, here’s what Sarah suggested in a letter sent around the world:

“Write a simple, short letter to the three leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran listed. They are sensitive to how they are viewed around the world. Your opinion matters to them,” she wrote.

“Your letter will be most effective if you — respectfully and based on fundamental principles of human rights — insist that Ebrahim Yazdi and other nonviolent political prisoners be released immediately.”

Sarah added: “Please encourage your local community and religious organizations to do the same. Write to your political and religious leaders and encourage them to represent their concerns through diplomatic and other channels. Let the leadership in Iran know that the world is watching, and that we care about injustice done to the people of Iran.”

Sarah Noorbaksh reminds us that postage to Iran for first-class mail is 98 cents. To ensure delivery of your letter, she advises that a copy be sent to:

Mr. Mohammad Khazaee
Permanent Representative
of the Islamic Republic of Iran
in the United Nations
622 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10017

Perhaps you think your letter won’t make a difference or perhaps you think it will never reach anyone who counts. You just might be wrong.

For more information about other ways to help, contact: FreeEbrahimYazdi@gmail.com.

Joyce Davis is president of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, an affiliate of the World Affairs Councils of America. She is a veteran journalist and author who was senior manager of Radio Farda, U.S. international broadcasting’s service into Iran.